Back To School Shopping
by clicheusername1234
Summary: A pretty long one- shot from my What If? collection. Mabel and Dipper are back in Piedmont, and it's mall time! With Dipper hauling major emotional baggage and Mabel hauling ACTUAL baggage, will the twins be able to resolve their feelings about Gravity Falls before the first school bell rings?


MABEL

"Dipper!" I yell, running down the hallways of our Piedmont townhouse. I knock on his door obnoxiously until he opens up.

"Mabel, I was in the middle of someth-"

"No time for talk, brother, we have somewhere to be!" I exclaim, pulling his tired form out the door and slamming it behind him. He probably stayed up all night working on the laptop from Gravity Falls; he brought it home when we left last week. Our parents said that we need a short while before school starts to "readjust"… whatever that means.

"And that somewhere _is_?"

"Back to school shopping, dummy!"

Dipper smiles, remembering our plans for the day.

You see, it's a Pines twins tradition to go back to school shopping together. We all pile into the station wagon and make our way to the mall, where we purchase clothes and supplies for the year. Mom and Dad have been offering to take us separately this year, but we've refused; this is a _together_ thing!

"Good morning," says our mother as we enter the kitchen, "how'd you guys sleep?"

"Fantastically!" I say, grabbing an apple off of the white counter. Mom smiles, and then looks to Dipper.

"What about you, Dip? You look tired."

"I'm fine. I was up pretty late, thinking about Gravity Falls and stuff…"

"You'll be back before you know it, kid. If I know anything about Stan, he'll be begging to have you guys back for winter break. Hang in there, and enjoy Piedmont."

"Yeah, I guess."

Dipper's been in a funk ever since we got back, needless to say. I'm sad too, of course, but I have Candy and Grenda's instagrams and Stan's e- mail. Also, I think Soos' myspace information? But maaan, did Dipper get hit hard. Wendy's going off to her senior year at Gravity Falls High, and she doesn't do internet stuff. They became pretty good friends over the summer, especially after all the crush stuff was resolved. It's a shame, and I don't think Dipper has spoken to Mom or Dad about it.

Speaking of Dad…

"Coffee, check. Wife, check. Kids?"

"Here." Dipper groans. Our dad thinks he's funny. _Thinks._

"Are we ready to go?" asks Mom, slinging her zebra- print purse over her shoulder. She has a weird obsession with zebra print, not unlike my obsession with sweaters.

"Yup!" I say, grabbing my home- knitted unicorn wallet. Dipper shrugs.

"Yeah."

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER

"Where to first?" I ask, looking at the mall directory.

"Well, you guys need clothes, supplies, and lunch." Mom says, checking her phone. "There are sales at a few stores, so we'll go to those first."

"And we can go to Subway for lunch when we're done." Dad says.

Dipper and I lead our pack, walking through the corridors and past the food court. It's pretty crowded for a Thursday, but I guess a lot of people had this idea.

"Ooh!" I say, pointing to Forever 21.

"Mabel, it explicitly says in the name of the store that it caters to only 21- year- olds." quips Dipper, looking longingly at Gamestop.

I grab his hand and point to the poster on the glass display.

"Read the fine print, Dippy- Doo."

_Forever 21's wares are available to all ages. Specifically, teenage girls with a lot of spare cash._

"Huh."

I run back to Mom and Dad, smiling innocently.

"Can I look in Forever 21?"

"No, honey, that store is too old for you." Dad says immediately. Mom frowns.

"I think she's old enough. It's not the clothes that are problematic; it's the behavior that certain audiences display. Mabel's a good girl."

"Yay!"

We enter the store and Dipper groans. There are racks of clothing as far as the eye can see, and giant racks of shoes and accessories in the back!

If only Candy and Grenda were here.

"Why don't… why don't you two take your time." Dad says, eyeing the bras to left nervously. "Mom and I will get some coffee."

"_Please take me with you_." Dipper begs.

"Look after your sister, please. I'm sure she'll come to your stores, too." Mom says, patting him on the head. Well, hat. Dipper groans.

"Don't be so grumpy, Dipper. You asked to shop with your sister, remember? I'll see you two later."

TWENTY MINUTES LATER

"Mabel!" Dipper yells, out of breath. He holds five giant bags from Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, and Cotton On.

"Yesss?" I say, smiling sweetly.

"Are you done yet?"

"I just want to run to the other store next to Forever 21 reeeeeaaaly quickly-"

"_Enough_, Mabel! They all sell the same clothes!"

"Just one more?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

I grab Dipper's ear and sit him down next to me on a bench.

"Remember when you almost didn't go back in time and let me win Waddles? Does the name "Miserable Mabel" ring a bell?"

Dipper turns away.

"Dipper?"

No response.

"Oh, come on, it was a joke. We don't have to-"

"Look, Mabel," says Dipper, angrily turning back to me. Are… tears forming in his eyes? "_You_ may be over Gravity Falls, but it just turns out that I'm not. Okay?"

"I'm… I'm sorry." I say, grabbing the bags. "We don't have to-"

"No, it's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, I like the BABBA shirts in those stores, anyway. Not to wear, obviousl-"

"Yay! Thank you so much." I say, standing up. "To Wet Seal we go!"

FIVE MINUTES LATER

"Do you think this would look good on me?" I ask, taking out a neon- green tank top from the rack. It sure has a lot of holes in it… wait, wouldn't someone be able to see a boob through this?

"_NO_!" Dipper yells, hitting it out of my hands.

Good call.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER

"Sooo, I'm done." I say, exhausted. "Where do _you_ buy clothes?"

"I already have mine. I just grabbed a few identical pairs of shorts while you were trying stuff on." says Dipper, shrugging. Hey, when did _that_ shopping bag get there?

"Is there anywhere else you wanna go?"

"Well, there's one place-"

"Ooh, tell me!"

"No, it's stupid-"

"Spill!"

"Abercrombie."

Silence.

"Come again?"

"Mabel, it's just, all of the guys in middle school wear the polos and shorts from there and I- I just wanna fit in…"

"Do you _like_ the stuff from there?"

"Not really… but I feel like I should have a few things."

I frown. I hate when people dress differently than how they feel. But Dipper is my brother, and I owe him.

"Okay, then," I say, "to Abercrombie we go!"

SEVEN MINUTES LATER

_Cough! Cough! Cough!_

"Bad… idea…" Dipper wheezes, leaning on the glass Abercrombie display.

"Never… doing … that… again…" I agree, coughing.

I knew that Abercrombie sold preppy, overpriced dude stuff.

What I didn't know about was the overwhelmingly potent perfume potluck wafting through the dimly- lit store!

"What… now?" I ask, fanning myself with Dipper's hat. He snatches it back.

"Supplies… I think…"

TWO HOURS LATER

"I guess I deserve this," I mumble, watching Dipper obsess over which type of mechanical pencil to buy. We've been in this Office Max for ages now! While I grabbed anything in sight with a rainbow and was pacified, Dipper has been weighing the pros and cons of each and every item on his list.

"This one has extra lead… but this one has a nicer eraser…" Dipper says to himself, weighing two packages in his hands. I peek at his list and smile. This is the last thing!

"IT'S ALL WRONG!" Dipper yells, smacking it out of my gaze.

"Jeez, are you okay?" I ask, sitting next to him on the tile.

"No, I'm _not_ okay. I'm figuring out what kind of stupid pencil to buy while Gravity Falls is still out there. Mabel, I can't do this! I don't want to go to school, I don't want life to be boring! I want to fight monsters and solve mysteries and I just _can't_-"

I lightly slap Dipper, which shuts him up.

"Take out the journal." I instruct.

"What?"

"I know you keep it with you at all times, dork. Take it out."

"O- okay…"

"Stay there."

I pick up one of the packages and add it to the basket. Quickly, I ring up the items and return to the pencil section.

"Open it up."

Dipper does so, landing on the page about zombies.

"To an empty page, dummy."

He does.

I rip open the package and hand Dipper a pencil.

"Write what I tell you to write, okay?"

"Uh, okay."

"My name is Dipper Pines."

Dipper looks at me skeptically, but writes it.

"I'm almost thirteen years old, and I visited Gravity Falls over the summer. I currently live in Piedmont, California with my parents and _fabulous_ twin sister, Mabel. In this journal I will continue to make observations and solve mysteries, but I will also focus on where I am _right now_. Because as long as I'm here, Piedmont can be just as great as Gravity Falls."

Dipper finishes, and then looks up at me.

"Thanks, Mabel."

"Did you remember to describe me as fabulous?"

"Yes."

"Darn straight."

Dipper closes the book and gets up, offering me a hand.

"Awkward sibling hug?" he asks, extending his arms. I grin.

"Awkward sibling hug."

SIX MINUTES LATER

"Are you two ready for lunch?" asks Mom, holding back laughter as Dad tries to hold all of our bags.

"Yup!" I say, pointing towards the food court. "Subway, right?"

"Yes, we have a coupo-"

_Breaking news! A highly dangerous convict named Gideon Gleeful has escaped from the Gravity Falls jail in Oregon. If anyone spots him in the West Coast area, please alert officials. Shown here is the note he left before the escape:_

**pines twins, I'm on my way.**

I gasp at the mall TV monitor. Mom cocks her head.

"Huh, there are other Pines twins in the West Coast area! Gravity Falls, even!"

"Uh, yeah…" says Dipper, scratching his head.

"Because there is _absolutely no way_ you two would be messing with criminals, right?" she adds, eyeing us knowingly.

"Mom, if want the truth-"

"I'll pass. I don't need another thing to worry about. You two take care of each other, please."

"We will." I say, smiling. Dipper grins back.

We're the Mystery Twins, after all.

No matter where we go, we _always_ will be.


End file.
